The dangers associated with cross contamination between a physician and a patient involving exchange of bodily fluids, particularly blood, saliva, and the like, are well documented. As a result of these dangers, it is becoming increasingly desirable for medical personnel to protect themselves from any injuries that would cause an opening in the skin while in contact with a patient in an invasive medical procedure, such as a surgery. These dangers are particularly heightened in the surgical arena, where a variety of sharpened items such as scalpels, needles, suturing needles, etc. are ever present.
A variety of approaches have been attempted to achieve increased puncture resistance in the thin elastomeric protective devices used for this service. Although the use of thicker and more puncture resistant materials, such as urethane, is known, the detriment in such materials is loss of the tactile sensitivity of the user. For example, extremely small chain mail is available, and is used by some orthopedic surgeons, but the degree of touch required for other specific surgeries, such as neurosurgery or cardiovascular surgery, is such that even the finest of chain mail is far too thick.
Other applications of a composition having such enhanced puncture resistance will be found with relation to protection of the hands and fingers from other puncture-type injuries, as would be encountered in the meat and poultry processing industries, where the contamination danger would be from microbes such as the Salmonella bacillus.